Star anchors 4x200m freestyle relay team to win
Kyle Chalmers takes bronze in 100m freestyle
Mollie O’Callaghan has equalled the Australian record for world championship golds after anchoring the women to victory in the 4x200m freestyle relay in Singapore.
By securing her 11th career world title on Thursday night, the 21-year-old equalled Ian Thorpe’s Australian record.
Continue reading...Pitcher Shane Bieber is headed to the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays in a deal with the rebuilding Cleveland Guardians, who also dealt right-hander Paul Sewald in the division to the AL Central-leading Detroit Tigers on Thursday.
The Guardians began trade deadline day in second place in the AL Central, nine games behind Detroit and potentially in the wild-card race, but their moves signal this has become a spiraling season.
Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase, a three-time All-Star, was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave as part of a Major League Baseball investigation into sports betting earlier in the week.
Luis Ortiz also is on non-disciplinary leave through Aug. 31, stemming from an investigation regarding in-game prop bets on two pitches thrown by the right-hander that received higher activity than usual during his starts at Seattle on June 15 and against St. Louis on June 27. The gambling activity on the pitches was flagged by a betting integrity firm and forwarded to MLB.
Bieber, who is working his way back from April 2024 Tommy John surgery, has made five rehab starts. His most recent outing was Tuesday for Double-A Akron, in which he allowed one run on three hits and struck out seven in four innings. His next rehab start was scheduled for Sunday.
The Guardians are getting right-hander Khal Stephen from the Blue Jays.
Bieber had spent his entire career in Cleveland, including winning the AL Cy Young Award in 2020. He has a career record of 62-32 with a 3.22 ERA and 958 strikeouts in 136 games, with 134 starts since his debut in 2018.
He agreed to a one-year, $14 million contract last fall with a $16 million player option for 2026.
The 22-year old Stephen has a combined record of 9-1 with a 2.06 ERA in 18 games, with 17 starts, in the Blue Jays’ farm system this season. He was a second-round selection (59th overall) by Toronto in the 2024 amateur draft. He made one start for Double-A New Hampshire following his promotion on July 20 before being placed on the injured list with right shoulder impingement.
Cleveland traded Sewald to Detroit for a player to be named later.
The Tigers bolstered their bullpen with the 35-year-old Sewald, who is eligible to return from the injured list on Sunday after being shut down with a strained right shoulder.
Sewald is 1-1 with a 4.70 ERA in 18 games this season, averaging more than one strikeout each inning. He is 21-26 with a 4.11 ERA with 86 saves in 377 appearances with the New York Mets, Seattle, Arizona and Cleveland.
The Chicago Cubs acquired right-hander Michael Soroka from the Washington Nationals, adding a veteran starter as they pursue an NL Central title.
Washington received two minor leaguers: infielder Ronny Cruz and outfielder Christian Franklin.
An All-Star in 2019 with Atlanta, the 27-year-old Soroka is 3-8 with a 4.87 ERA this season for the Nationals, who signed him to a one-year, $9 million contract in the offseason. He should provide depth in the Cubs’ rotation behind Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga.
The Canadian is 20-26 with a 3.91 ERA in six major league seasons. He tore his right Achilles tendon on a routine fielding play in 2020, then injured the same tendon while walking into Atlanta’s ballpark the following year. He missed the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Soroka went 0-10 with a 4.74 ERA last season for the Chicago White Sox.
The Cubs trail the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers by one game after beating them 10-3. Chicago gave a contract extension to president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, who has assembled an entertaining squad led by breakout star Pete Crow-Armstrong. The Cubs have not won a playoff series since 2017, the year after they won their first World Series in 108 years.
The Nationals are last in the NL East and fired general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez.
Soroka was pulled after allowing two runs in 3 1/3 innings at Houston as the Nationals shopped him. He has allowed three runs or fewer in seven of his last eight starts.
Washington also dealt relievers Andrew Chafin and Luis García to the Los Angeles Angels for prospects, and veterans Kyle Finnegan, Josh Bell and Paul DeJong are candidates to be traded before the deadline.
The 18-year-old Cruz joins Washington’s farm system after batting .270 this season for the Cubs’ Rookie-level Arizona Complex League squad. The 25-year-old Franklin is batting .265 with eight homers this season for Triple-A Iowa.
CINCINNATI — Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is hopeful that he will be able to make his next mound start after his outing was cut short by cramping in his right hip.
Ohtani was scheduled to go four innings on a hot, humid night against the Cincinnati Reds, but he left without recording an out in the fourth after he threw six straight balls, including two consecutive wild pitches.
The 31-year old reigning NL MVP said he started to cramp in the first inning.
“Just tried to work around it. I was able to do so up until the third and it didn’t quite work out in the fourth,” Ohtani said through an interpreter after the Dodgers’ 5-2 loss.
Ohtani and manager Dave Roberts both blamed the cramping on the weather. The temperature at first pitch was 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) with a heat index near 100.
Roberts went out with the trainer after Ohtani threw a 86.3 mph sweeper that was low and outside the strike zone for a 2-0 count to Spencer Steer. After a conference on the mound, Ohtani left with the trainer.
“I just saw a funky throw. The follow-through just didn’t look right. And then he threw another pitch and I just didn’t see the finish the right way,” Roberts said. “It was very concerning because I didn’t know what it was. He said it was his hip. I talked to him and he said it was the humidity. So I feel better knowing that.”
Ohtani — who leads the NL with 38 home runs — remained in the game at designated hitter, but went 0 for 5, a day after he struck out four times. He hit a line drive to Cincinnati center fielder Will Benson for the final out.
“I don’t play defense. That helped, but at the same time we were playing a close game and I wanted to help the team win,” Ohtani said.
This was Ohtani’s seventh mound start in his comeback from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, which occurred after the 2023 season. He did not pitch at all last season, his first for the Dodgers after signing a 10-year, $700 million contract, but he starred at DH — finishing with 54 homers and 59 stolen bases — and won his third MVP award.
Even though it was cut short, it still was Ohtani’s longest outing of his pitching comeback.
He threw 51 pitches, 32 for strikes, and allowed two runs on five hits in three-plus innings. He struck out four and walked two.
“A good thing about today’s outing is my pitch count was where I wanted it to be. I think this is a step forward in a sense,” said Ohtani, who has a 2.40 ERA in 15 innings. “I didn’t feel great to be honest physically the past couple days.”
Ohtani has allowed four runs, three in the first inning. He has faced 63 batters, striking out 17 and walking five.
Ohtani’s most-used pitch in his first six outings was the fastball (49%), followed by the sweeper (25%). Against the Reds, he threw only 14 fastballs and 29 sweepers. All eight of the Reds’ swing-and-misses came on the sweeper.
“Rather than pitch type it was manipulating the way I was throwing. Just not trying to get too deep on my delivery. Just trying to focus on mechanics,” Ohtani said.
Noelvi Marte led off the Reds’ fourth with a single and advanced to third on Ohtani’s two wild pitches to Tyler Stephenson, who then walked.
Ohtani threw two balls to Steer and was replaced by Anthony Banda, who walked Steer and gave up Benson’s sacrifice fly that tied the game at 2-all.
As long as everything checks out, Ohtani’s next start would be Aug. 6 against St. Louis at Dodger Stadium.
“He’ll have a week and it will be at home, so there won’t be humidity to deal with,” Roberts said.
Ohtani might start having second thoughts though about facing the Reds on the mound. Prior to, his last pitching appearance against Cincinnati was Aug. 23, 2023, for the Los Angeles Angels. He left in the second inning with a torn ligament in his elbow, an injury that led to his second Tommy John surgery.
The Seattle Mariners acquired slugger Eugenio Suárez, the Philadelphia Phillies dealt for hard-throwing reliever Jhoan Durán and identical twin relievers Tyler and Taylor Rogers got traded on the same day, capping a busy Wednesday as the Major League Baseball trade deadline approaches on Thursday.
Suárez — who had 36 homers and 87 RBIs this season for the Arizona Diamondbacks — was widely considered one of the top prizes of the trade deadline. A person familiar with the transaction confirmed it to The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because it had not been announced.
The 34-year-old Suárez spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons with the Mariners, hitting 53 homers.
The 27-year-old Durán has a 2.01 ERA and 16 saves this season, striking out 53 over 49 1/3 innings for the Minnesota Twins. The Phillies gave up two top prospects, catcher Eduardo Tait and right-hander Mick Abel.
Tyler Rogers and Ryan Helsley are headed to the New York Mets, who are fighting for first place in the NL East with the Phillies. The accomplished relievers join Edwin Díaz in the bullpen to give the Mets multiple late-inning options.
The durable Rogers — who has a distinctive submarine delivery — has made 53 appearances this season with a 1.80 ERA, four walks and 38 strikeouts for the San Francisco Giants. The Mets sent the Giants right-handers José Buttó and Blade Tidwell, along with outfielder Drew Gilbert.
Helsley has a 3.00 ERA, 21 saves and 41 strikeouts over 36 innings this year for the St. Louis Cardinals, where he’s spent the past seven seasons. New York dealt St. Louis three minor leaguers, including infielder Jesus Baez and right-handers Nate Dohm and Frank Elissalt.
Even after Suarez was dealt, many of the trade deadline’s biggest names remained on the market, setting up a potentially fascinating 24 hours.
Pittsburgh right-hander Mitch Keller and Cleveland outfielder Steven Kwan were among the potential season-altering additions that teams were pursuing ahead of Thursday’s 6 p.m. EDT deadline.
In other moves Wednesday, the New York Yankees added veteran outfielder Austin Slater, the Cincinnati Reds acquired Gold Glove third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes and the Chicago Cubs traded for right-handed starter Michael Soroka.
The 32-year-old Slater gives the Yankees a dependable right-handed batter for the final two months of the season. He’s hit .236 with five homers and 11 RBIs in 51 games with the White Sox this season and has an .859 OPS against left-handed pitching.
The White Sox acquired minor league pitching prospect Gage Ziehl in the trade.
The Reds acquired Hayes from the Pirates in exchange for Taylor Rogers, who unlike his brother throws lefty — and overhand. Pittsburgh also got shortstop prospect Sammy Stafura and cash from Cincinnati.
The swap gives the Reds an elite defender at third with a manageable contract. The 28-year-old Hayes, a Gold Glove winner in 2023, has four-plus years left on the extension he signed with Pittsburgh in 2022.
He will make $7 million in 2026 and 2027 and $8 million in 2028 and 2029, with a club option for $12 million in 2030. He’s hitting .236 with two home runs and 36 RBIs this season.
The 27-year-old Soroka is off to Chicago, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. He was an All-Star in 2019 and has 3-8 record with a 4.87 ERA for the Washington Nationals this season.
Washington received two minor leaguers — infielder Ronny Cruz and outfielder Christian Franklin.
Suárez returned to the Diamondbacks’ lineup on Wednesday and went 1 for 4, two days after an injury scare. The slugger was hit on the right index finger by a pitch against the Detroit Tigers on Monday.
The D-backs have turned into sellers at the deadline after dropping eight of their last nine games and falling to 51-58. Right-handed pitchers Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen are among the other Arizona players who could be dealt.
In other moves on Wednesday:
— The Red Sox acquired lefty Steven Matz from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for minor league first baseman Blaze Jordan.
— The Reds traded for right-hander Zach Littell from the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-way deal involving the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays.
— The Los Angeles Angels acquired relievers Andrew Chafin and Luis García from the Nationals for left-hander Jake Eder and minor league first baseman Sam Brown.
— The Atlanta Braves acquired veteran reliever Tyler Kinley from the Colorado Rockies for minor league pitcher Austin Smith.
— The Seattle Mariners agreed to add left-handed reliever Caleb Ferguson from the Pittsburgh Pirates, giving their bullpen another arm as they make a playoff push. The Pirates received right-handed pitching prospect Jeter Martinez.
Upon his return to campus, Deion Sanders tried to pick up right where he left off.
Rookie winger Isaac Howard could be the value play bettors are searching for if he sticks on Edmonton’s top line with Connor McDavid.
As the NHL season approaches, bettors looking for value in player props should keep an eye on a potential breakout rookie flying under the radar: Isaac Howard of the Edmonton Oilers. While Calder Trophy futures are being dominated by names like Montreal’s Ivan Demidov, Howard could be a dark horse worth monitoring at +1500 in several betting markets.
Originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning, the 21-year-old Wisconsin native was traded to Edmonton, where his path to NHL ice time has become much clearer. The Oilers, fresh off consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances, appear ready to give Howard a real shot and the early depth charts are proof.
Oilers' Howard, Blues' Snuggerud Present Closest Competition to Demidov For CalderRookies Isaac Howard and Jimmy Snuggerud appear to be best cases behind Montreal's Ivan Demidov for 2026 Calder trophy
According to early reports, Howard is slotted on Edmonton’s top line alongside Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman, two of the most productive forwards in the league. That alone makes him intriguing in goal and point prop markets.
Howard is also reportedly set to skate on the second power-play unit, increasing his high-danger chances. With McDavid commanding so much defensive attention, Howard could benefit with clean looks and tap-in chances which could be an ideal scenario for goal scorer props.
Howard showed clear development over his three collegiate seasons. After a modest freshman year at Minnesota-Duluth (17 points in 35 games), he transferred to Michigan State, where his offensive game exploded. Last season, he posted 26 goals and 26 assists in 37 games, earning a nod with Team USA at the IIHF World Championships.
If you're looking to model Howard’s rookie year performance, think along the lines of Frank Vatrano or Elias Lindholm from last season in terms of production floor. But if everything clicks, especially with McDavid as a linemate, he could reach 50–60 points, much like Dylan Guenther’s breakout year in Utah. Howard will look to be a solid best bet to get a point through the season for the Oilers as his odds most games will likely hover anywhere from -125 to -190 as a decent syphon off of McDavid's point production.
NHL Division Odds Breakdown: Panthers, Hurricanes, and Golden Knights Lead the PackSportsbooks release betting odds for NHL divisional races for 2025-26 season.
For a second year in a row, Alex Newhook held a golf tournament in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and the event included a Q&A with a few special guests. On the stage alongside Newhook were his sister Abby Newhook, who the Boston Fleet of the PWHL recently drafted, Montreal Canadiens teammates Arber Xhekaj, Jakub Dobes, and Jayden Struble, and former Habs Michael Pezzetta and Chris Nilan.
David Amber played the role of master of ceremonies and asked many questions to the players, a few of which are worth reporting. The panel was asked which rule change they would like to see in the league, and Dobes had a surprising answer. The netminder would like to see more goalie fights and laments that the linesmen step in too early to stop them. He refused to say which masked man he would like to fight, however. As for Xhekaj, he explained that he would eliminate the shootout; instead, he prefers continuous overtime. He even mentioned that a shootout, while flashy, ruins the game. Meanwhile, Newhook would do away with the delay-of-game penalty when the puck is thrown over the glass. As for Pezzetta, he would uniformize the high-sticking penalty, doing away with the four-minute infraction when one draws blood.
Canadiens Prospects Faceoff On The Ice In More Ways Than One
Canadiens: 20 Years Ago…
Canadiens New Forward Is Prime Breakout Candidate
It was also interesting to see the answers to the “who should be mic'd up on the ice?” question. Newhook picked Brad Marchand because of the Stanley Cup champion’s antics on the ice, before adding that Cole Caufield would be interesting since he’s loud and all over the place. Struble interjected to say Lane Hutson would be funny, and Xhekaj jumped in to add that the Calder Trophy winner once apologized to a guy who had just received a penalty on him. The gritty defenseman also suggested Juraj Slafkovsky would be interesting since he’s yelling in Slovakian and you can’t even understand what he’s saying half the time.
Another noteworthy question was where the players would like to see expansion teams. Dobes came out of left field with a London, England-based team. Nilan said he wouldn’t want to see Atlanta again before saying Houston is a possibility, and he would like to see Quebec City, but he added that “Mr. Molson wouldn’t like that,” and he’s not sure if they could fill up the building for a whole season.
As always, Nilan found the way to entertain the crowd when he was asked what winning the Stanley Cup in Montreal was like. He explained that winning in that market is special, and given the option to win in Montreal or Anaheim, the choice was obvious. But the big chuckle came when he added, “Even in New Jersey, they had a parade in a parking lot [insert expletive here]”.
That led to him talking about game 3 of the series against the Washington Capitals this season, saying it was the loudest he’d ever seen the building. Asked about that game, which was the first of his career in the playoffs, Dobes mentioned that he was nervous, but it ended up well since they won. While he was talking, you could see something was burning on Arber Xhekaj’s lips, and seconds later, he let it out:
So Dobby stands by the bench, right close to their bench, and he’s looking over and chirping every single guy that comes off the ice, yelling at them, chirping them. Next thing you know, our goalie gets hurt and Dobby has to go in…uh oh.-
The young netminder admitted that the story was true and added that the Caps were not nice to him in the first five minutes. Xhekaj then explained that’s how the bench brawl started. At the end of the period, Dobes had to skate through the Caps to get back to the Canadiens’ room, but they all decided to stand there and wait to have a word with him. The tough guy added: “And then I got in there and it was madness”. Pleading his case, the rookie netminder added that he didn’t even say anything that bad.
That night really was special at the Bell Centre last season. It will be interesting to see what the building is like this upcoming season if the Canadiens do make the playoffs for a second year in a row.
Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, never to miss a story.
Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.
Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.
Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.
The Anaheim Ducks have missed the playoffs every year since 2017-18 and in doing so, have drafted in the top ten for seven consecutive seasons and procured one of the NHL’s deepest and most potent prospect pools.
Despite several young players having graduated and become full-time NHLers, such as Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Mason McTavish, Pavel Mintyukov, and Olen Zellweger, the Ducks still have an impressive pipeline of potential impact and depth prospects yet to make the jump.
Six Ducks Prospects Named to 2025 World Junior Summer Showcase Rosters
Can ‘Rangers West’ Help Get the Ducks Back Into the Playoffs?
For this exercise, only players who haven’t lost rookie status are eligible for a ranking, and to be clear, these are my (Patrick Present) subjective rankings.
Honorable Mentions: Yegor Sidorov, Herman Traff, Tarin Smith, Lasse Boelius, Calle Clang
Top Ten:
10. Nathan Gaucher, 21, C, San Diego Gulls (AHL)
9. Ian Moore, 23, RHD, San Diego Gulls (AHL)
8. Sasha Pastujov, 22, W, San Diego Gulls (AHL)
7. Tomas Suchanek, 22, G, San Diego Gulls (AHL)
6. Eric Nilson, 18, C, Michigan State University (NCAA)
5. Lucas Pettersson, 19, C, Brynas IF (SHL)
4. Stian Solberg, 19, LHD, San Diego Gulls (AHL)
3. Tristan Luneau, 21, RHD, San Diego Gulls (AHL)
If it were guaranteed that Roger McQueen is currently 100% healthy and will be moving forward, he would have easily sat atop this list of Ducks prospects. However, if that same guarantee could have been made just over a month ago at the NHL Draft, McQueen would have certainly been selected higher than where the Ducks were picking (10th overall in 2025).
“There's certainly power forward written all over him in how he plays the game,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek stated after McQueen’s selection. “He has a little bit of a mean side to him, which I like. There's high compete there with him.
“And so I think that when we went through the injuries that he had, I think that we felt comfortable drafting him. Just all the things that he's gone through to overcome the injury, we felt comfortable drafting him.”
McQueen has the makeup of a dominant, elite top-line center in the NHL. He measured in at 6-foot-5.25 and 198 pounds at the NHL Draft combine in early June, and uses every bit of that frame and reach to control play in all three zones.
As of now, his skating is about NHL average, which, given his size, is a tremendous advantage. He has a long, powerful stride and is as fluid on his edges as it gets. He can cover a huge amount of ice incredibly quickly. The only area for improvement in the skating department could be with adding explosion to his first three steps.
He’s immensely gifted with the puck on his stick: his hands are elite, he can operate in tight spaces, he can operate in open ice, he can protect pucks, he threads needles to open teammates in dangerous areas, and his shot is NHL-ready.
McQueen’s defensive attention to detail is surprisingly advanced for someone who’s missed as much time as he has and for someone who is as offensively gifted as he is. He stays well on the defensive side of the puck in coverage and uses his closing ability and active stick to kill plays in low-danger areas before they can develop.
He has every tool necessary to be one of the best players in the NHL in his prime. However, the question marks surrounding his back injury will remain until he can prove he’s fully recovered and unhampered.
McQueen missed all but 17 regular season games in 2024-25 with a fracture in his vertebrae, needing ample rest to properly heal and recover. He returned for three playoff games, but he sustained a muscle injury, reportedly from overcompensation, which ended his draft season.
"I think being off (the ice for so long) really helped me (develop my skills)," McQueen said during his post-draft availability. "I think the other side of the game, the mental side, really got a lot sharper for me in the sense of just having five months off to take that on myself and work on that. I think just being able to stay positive and stay resilient really helped me out. The other side of the game is watching our team play. You learn a lot (by doing that) too.”
Moving forward, the priority for McQueen’s development is to ensure he’s fully healthy and plays as many games as possible in 2025-26. Signs are currently pointing toward him returning to the WHL to play for Brandon, but with the new CHL/NCAA agreement in place, college hockey remains an option, and there’s always the (very) outside chance he makes the Ducks’ NHL roster following rookie and training camps.
McQueen, along with fellow Ducks prospects Beckett Sennecke and Tarin Smith, was invited to Team Canada’s World Junior Summer Showcase, but both he and Sennecke were listed as “unable to attend.”
Ducks Sign Drew Helleson to Two-Year Extension
Ducks Sign Lukas Dostal to Five-Year Extension
Ducks Sign Clang, Myšák to One-Year Deals
Photo Credit: Anaheim Ducks PR
Phillies make another trade with Twins, acquire righthanded outfielder originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
When Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski met with the media in the Phillies clubhouse at Rate Field in Chicago to announce the team acquiring Jhoan Duran, he was asked if there was another move coming.
“We’re not done,” he said, before quickly backtracking to “we’re not done talking.”
Talk he did, and to the same team that brought them Duran, to the Minnesota Twins for a second deal that brought the Phillies righthanded outfielder Harrison Bader. They sent a pair of prospects, outfielder Hendry Mendez and righthanded pitcher Geremy Villoria, as return.
Bader, the 31-year-old, has traveled the league in his nine seasons and is considered a very good outfielder. He was named the Best Defensive Outfielder in the National League in Baseball America’s 2019 Best Tools survey of managers, coaches, scouts and executives and in 2021 won the Gold Glove award for centerfield.
He signed a one-year contract with the Twins before the season for $6.25 million with a mutual option for 2026.
Bader isn’t the big bat or more well-known player that was rumored to be coming to the Phillies in the previous days. Those names were Luis Robert Jr. of the White Sox, Cleveland’s Steven Kwan or Arizona’s Eugenio Suarez, who was moved to the Seattle Mariners, to name a few. But the addition of Hader will perhaps stabilize an outfield for manager Rob Thomson that has platooned Max Kepler, Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas in center and left for most of the season.
Is the team done with their $10 million experiment in Kepler, who is hitting just .203 this season? Are they going to give Justin Crawford a shot as he is hitting .325 in Lehigh Valley with 33 stolen bases? Is there room for another upscale defender, low-power guy in the outfield? Crawford has just three home runs in 329 at bats, Rojas is a player the organization just wants to try and reach base to create some havoc with his speed and, though he is hitting the ball very well of late, Marsh isn’t exactly a bopper, as his five home runs prove.
Marsh, it appears, is pretty much set in stone to get a majority of playing time, whether it be left or center. Though his .204 batting average and .286 on base percentage against lefties this year isn’t ideal. Bader is also someone who can play either left or center and someone who hits a bit better against righthanders (.266 avg., .347 OBP) than lefties (,241, .318). One thing that is for certain is that Nick Castellanos will be the right fielder.
As much delight, and rightfully so, the Duran trade brought to the baseball fans of the Delaware Valley, the addition of Bader seems to be garnering the “uh, okay” type of reaction that sticks to a player that now will be suiting up for his sixth team in nine years.
Its Thursday, July 31 and the Rangers (57-52) are in Seattle to open a series against the Mariners (57-52).
Kumar Rocker is slated to take the mound for Texas against George Kirby for Seattle.
Losers of two of their last three, the Mariners look to build momentum for a playoff push as they take the field against a Rangers' club that has rallied of late to pull even with Seattle and within five games of first place Houston.
Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
The latest odds as of Thursday:
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Thursday's game between the Rangers and the Mariners:
Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
With the MLB trade deadline rapidly approaching, the Mets have been discussing a potential trade with the White Sox that would bring Luis Robert Jr. to Queens.
According to multiple reports, New York has been one of the most aggressive suitors for Robert.
However, MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported on Thursday that while the Mets and Phillies "remain in the mix to some extent" on Robert, "the Padres have emerged as the team to watch."
As far as what it could take to acquire Robert, ESPN's Buster Olney recently reported that the White Sox "are resolute in the stance that they'll either receive a trade return equivalent of what Robert's potential is or hang onto him beyond the deadline."
Mark Vientosand Luisangel Acuña are "among the names that have come up" between the Mets and White Sox, according to Olney.
SNY's Andy Martino reported on Monday that the Mets were discussing Vientos in trade talks.
Robert's year at the plate hasn't been great, but he has erupted over the last two weeks, slashing .314/.407/.569 with four homers in 59 plate appearances over 16 games.
Going back to June 6, Robert has been strong, hitting .260/.347/.462 with six homers in 119 plate appearances spanning 32 games.
The Mets are currently using Tyrone Taylor and Jeff McNeil in center field, which is less than ideal given Taylor's offensive struggles and McNeil being out of position.
President of baseball operations David Stearns hedged a bit recently when asked about upgrading center field. But he explained that the team would be open to it if the player they acquired passed a certain "bar" for them.
Whether Chicago is bluffing or not when it comes to the return they're seeking for Robert remains to be seen, but it's hard to picture any team paying top dollar in terms of major league talent and/or position players in order to acquire a player who has struggled badly at the plate for most of the last two seasons.
What complicates matters is that while Robert can be a free agent after the season, his contract contains a pair of club options -- worth $20 million each for 2026 and 2027.
That means the Sox could theoretically keep him and pick up his option if he excels down the stretch. It also means an acquiring team isn't taking on much risk, but could reap a serious reward if Robert snaps back into being the player he was as recently as 2023, when he smashed 38 homers and had an .857 OPS.
Still just 27 years old, Robert's potential is immense. And while his offensive ceiling is the most tantalizing part of his game, he's also an elite defensive center fielder.
Yankees reportedly land Pirates' David Bednar in MLB trade deadline splash originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The New York Yankees have made an MLB trade deadline day splash.
New York is acquiring two-time All-Star closer David Bednar from the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to multiple reports on Thursday.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal was first to report the deal.
New York reportedly is sending a trio of prospects to Pittsburgh: catchers Rafael Flores and Edgleen Perez, along with outfielder Brian Sanchez. Flores and Perez were the Yankees’ eighth- and 14th-ranked prospects, respectively, according to MLB.com.
Bednar, 30, has rebounded from a down 2024 campaign, sporting a 2.37 ERA with 51 strikeouts and 10 walks in 38 innings across 42 appearances this season. The right-hander is also a perfect 17-for-17 in save opportunities.
Bedar was an All-Star in back-to-back seasons before his ERA ballooned to 5.77 in 2024.
Bednar is under club control for one more season beyond 2025.
This story is being updated.
Its Thursday, July 31 and the Braves (45-62) are in Cincinnati to begin a series against the Reds (57-52).
Carlos Carrasco is slated to take the mound for Atlanta against Andrew Abbott for Cincinnati. Carrasco has not pitched in a game since May 4.
The Braves come to town having lost two straight in a season that has seen little go right. Yesterday they managed just five hits and lost 1-0 to the Royals in ten innings. The Reds salvaged the finale of their series against the Dodgers yesterday, knocking off the defending world champs, 5-2. Cincy broke open a tie game with three in the eighth. Spencer Steer plated two with one of his two hits on the night.
Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
The latest odds as of Thursday:
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Thursday's game between the Braves and the Reds:
Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
Here's what happened in Mets Land on Wednesday, in case you missed it...
